…or is it just reflecting mine? Inspired by a suggestion on Twitter to ask Wolfram|Alpha “Are you Skynet?” I had a look around for other geeky easter eggs. Here are a few: What happens at 88mph?What is the meaning of life?What is the average speed of a swallow?Hello, WorldOpen the pod bay doorsAll your base…
Podcast: Episode 32 – Maths news with Sarah Shepherd
These are the show notes for episode 32 of the Travels in a Mathematical World Podcast. 32 is the number of panels in the spherical polyhedron corresponding to the Archimedean solid the truncated icosahedron which is the most popular design of a modern football. More about the truncated icosahedron from Wolfram Mathworld. More about 32…
Podcast: Episode 31 – Matt Parker, Maths communication
These are the show notes for episode 31 of the Travels in a Mathematical World Podcast. 31 is the earliest and the only known case such that the sum of the divisors of two distinct numbers (16 & 25) is the same prime quantity (31), that is to say: 1+2+4+8+16 = 31 and 1+5+25 =…
Maths Promotion and new technologies
Last week I went to a meeting of the Maths Promotors Network in London which had a focus on use of new technologies in mathematics promotion. I spoke at this, giving an introduction and contributing to panels on social networking (with Noel-Ann Bradshaw of the University of Greenwich and Meetings Co-ordinator of the British Society…
Podcast: Episode 30 -Noel-Ann Bradshaw, Ramanujan
These are the show notes for episode 30 of the Travels in a Mathematical World Podcast. 30 is the largest number with the property that all smaller numberscoprime to it are prime. More about 30 from Number Gossip. In the regular Maths History series, Noel-Ann Bradshaw of the University of Greenwich and also Meetings Co-ordinator…
Wolfram|Alpha: Sometimes answering the question misses the point
Wolfram|Alpha was released today. This is a fascinating piece of technology and I am trying to work out how I feel about it. If you don’t know what it is, for a general overview you could read “Wolfram ‘search engine’ goes live” from the BBC or a little more detail from “Ask Alpha: Quizzing the…
Podcast: Episode 29 – Noel-Ann Bradshaw, Evolutionary algorithms for financial applications
These are the show notes for episode 29 of the Travels in a Mathematical World Podcast. 29 is prime, the 29th power of two is the largest power of two to have all different digits. More about 29 from Prime Curios. Regular listeners will know Noel-Ann Bradshaw as the regular contributor of the maths history…